Reviewing Our Subscribers Cars!
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56:15
Car
2007 LBZ Duramax
The LBZ Duramax is a powerful diesel engine found in some Chevrolet trucks from 2007. It's known for being strong and dependable, which is why many people like it.
Company
Volk Racing
Volk Racing makes wheels that are favored by car lovers for their strength and lightweight design, often used in racing.
Company
Yokohama
Yokohama makes tires that are popular among car enthusiasts, especially for racing and performance driving.
Part
T37 SLs
T37 SLs are a type of wheel made for racing cars that are lighter and stronger than regular wheels, helping improve performance on the track.
Term
center caps
Center caps are the small covers in the middle of a car's wheels that can show the brand logo and keep dirt out.
Car
Mercedes-Benz SL
Term
track
A track is a special place where cars can race safely, away from regular streets, allowing for high-speed driving.
Car
BMW M4
The BMW M4 is a fast sports car that is made for people who love driving. It has a strong engine and handles really well, making it exciting to drive.
Part
coilovers
Coilovers are special parts of a car's suspension that help control how the car rides and handles. They can be adjusted to make the car sit higher or lower, which is why many car lovers like to use them.
Term
competition clutch
A competition clutch is a special part that helps the car's engine connect to the wheels more effectively, especially in racing situations where more power is involved.
Concept
purpose built
A purpose-built car is made for a specific reason, like racing, rather than just being a regular car you drive around. It has special features to make it perform better in that setting.
Term
OEM plus
OEM plus means making changes to a car to make it better while still looking like it came from the factory. It's about improving performance or style without going too far from the original design.
Term
supercharged
Supercharging means adding a device to an engine that helps it get more air, making it more powerful. It’s like giving the engine a boost to go faster.
Company
TRD
TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, which is Toyota's branch that makes special parts to improve the performance of their cars.
Company
HKS
HKS is a company that makes parts to help cars go faster and perform better, especially for racing and performance driving.
Company
APR
APR is a company that makes parts to enhance the performance of cars, especially those from Audi and Volkswagen.
Company
Mishimoto
Mishimoto is a brand that makes parts to help keep cars cool, like radiators and hoses, which are important for performance.
Car
Infiniti G35
The Infiniti G35 is a luxury car that combines sporty performance with comfort. It's a popular choice for those who want a stylish and fun-to-drive vehicle.
Term
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride was a TV show where cars were transformed into really cool and flashy vehicles. They would add lots of fun features and make them look amazing.
Car
Infiniti G37
The Infiniti G37 is a newer version of the G35, made from 2007 to 2013. It has better features and performance, making it a great luxury car.
Car
Infiniti Q50
The Infiniti Q50 Red Sport is a sportier version of the Q50 sedan, designed for better performance and handling. It's a luxury car that also feels fun to drive.
Term
rear mounted turbo
A rear mounted turbo is a type of turbocharger that is located at the back of the car. It helps the engine get more air, which can make the car go faster.
Car
Gmc Sierra
Car
Ford Flex
Car
2022 Toyota GR Supra
The 2022 Toyota GR Supra is a fast sports car made by Toyota. It has a powerful engine and a stylish look, designed for people who enjoy driving quickly and handling well on the road.
Car
Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a fast sports car that many people love for its speed and style. It's often modified to go even faster.
Car
Mazda Rx8
Car
Toyota Gr86
Car
Morgan 8 Plus
Car
Nissan Leaf
Car
Nissan 350Z
The Nissan 350Z is a sporty car that people like to drive fast. It has a powerful engine and is designed for good handling on the road.
Car
Lexus LS 400
The Lexus LS 400 is a luxury car known for being very comfortable and reliable. It's a great option for those who want a smooth driving experience and a nice interior.
Car
Porsche Panamera
Car
Dodge Omni
Car
Ford Focus Rs
Car
Scion Frs
Car
Chevrolet SSR
Car
Dodge Neon SXT
The Dodge Neon SXT is a small car that was popular for being cheap and easy to customize. The 2005 version had a sporty look and was often chosen by young drivers.
Car
Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse GS is a small, sporty car from 1999 that many people liked to modify and race. It was known for being fun to drive and easy to customize.
Car
Honda Accord
Car
Ford Bronco
Car
Subaru WRX
Car
BMW E36
Car
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a sportier version of the regular BMW 3 Series. The E36 is one of the older models of the M3, known for being fun to drive and having a strong engine.
Car
BMW M2
Car
Honda S2000
Car
Toyota Corolla
Car
Zenvo ST1
Car
Volkswagen Gti
Car
Ford Mustang
Car
Honda Civic
LIVE
Welcome back to the Martini Works podcast.
I am Dakota, and I'm here with two fine gentlemen.
I'm Dustin.
Oh, I'm Gels.
It's so cute when he says Dustin.
Anyways, Dustin's special guest filling in.
And you guys have you've seen him before.
We got some good stuff coming at you today.
We're going to be actually taking a look at your cars.
Taking a peek at him, giving some suggestions or maybe just saying we love it.
Or we hate it.
Dustin hates almost every car ever made.
That's not true.
I'm usually too nice.
Yeah, that's true.
But if you guys are interested and you want to be in a future episode of these,
it seemed like you liked them the last time we did them.
Go add your car to the build threads.
It's super easy.
And if you want to get featured, I'll give you a life hack just for the podcast
listeners, upload really good photos, have a good story, list all of your
modifications, and then pretty much you're a shoe and either get featured on our
Instagram or may well reviewed on the podcast.
Yes, we're all out there.
Don't share your story.
Tell me your story.
I'm trying to go to bed.
Yeah, I want to know why you picked your car, why you picked the mods you did
and maybe what even your plans for the future are.
That's all you can do in the build threads.
We want it to be more than just photos of your car.
We want to hear a little bit of personal stuff about it too.
That's what makes it fun and interesting, not only that, but you can
actually link your socials like your Instagram or your TikTok, whatever.
You can link it on your build thread page so other people can find you,
which is really neat too.
Win, win, win, win.
Also, you truck guys, put your stuff in there.
There's a couple of trucks in there.
Sorry about that.
Yeah, we got some cool trucks.
Is there a gigantic 2007 LBZ Duramax on 14 whites?
Complete opposite.
I guess we can hop right into this boys.
We're going in.
We're just diving right into it.
Yes, so we're starting off with the first one.
If you want to pull it up, I'm just doing it on my phone here so I can see it.
This guy.
The first one's interesting.
We got a little bit of an anime wrap going on, but only functional 2013
Cyan FRS scuba circuit build, which I think that's that's sick.
Inspired by the cars that run on scuba.
Got Narita dog fight seats, which is sick.
I love following their content in the bridge seats.
It's like a collab seat, which is really damn cool.
Imagine getting a collab with bridge.
Like that's just so yeah, I don't know how you do that, but I'd love to one day.
Got the oil cooler out in the front, which is interesting.
Canards, obviously you have the insane livery.
Then you got some JDM tires and wheels.
Looks like we are dealing with some Yokohamas and some Volk racing.
T37 SLs, a little fun factoid for you.
The SL T37s do not come with center caps along with most T37s,
but you also cannot purchase center caps for the SLs
because they run a different size there,
specifically because they don't want you running center caps.
And those those are specifically more meant for the track.
Yeah, OK, that makes sense.
If you didn't know on the track, you shouldn't be running center caps
because you can pop them out or they can explode.
They can crack. Yeah, because you're dealing with a lot of heat.
It's windshield. We did that.
We do you remember that? Yeah, yeah.
We left the center caps in in the M4 wheels and we literally melted one.
Yeah, mistake.
Stuff got so hot.
You want to know what's absolutely insane about this build?
Tell me the fact that he or the owner has over one hundred
and eight modifications listed to this car.
What a gangster.
Shout out to Jonathan.
I remember going through and this one was submitted.
I was like, this is probably the most fleshed out build thread
that we have in the build threads.
And that's why it made it into this car is absolutely killer.
I I love this thing.
The story behind it is so cool.
The modifications are literally top tier.
You got stuff between air cup, coil overs,
Cusco, literally everything, white line.
You got coil, rad stuff, APG, competition, clutch.
The literally a hundred and eight plus modifications listed.
Yeah, we can't even list all of them.
It's crazy.
It goes to show how much they put into this car.
And it's really cool to looking through the photos.
You can see this ain't just a beauty queen.
It goes and sees some track time to like its purpose built,
which is really dope.
Obviously, you don't need every single one of these mods to hit the track.
But doing like a scuba circuit inspired build,
I think it all comes together.
The rap is obviously very busy, very anime.
But I think it's fun.
And I think it's representation of the owner.
I think it's dope that like each like it flows together super nice,
but both sides are different.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, right.
Well, it was really nice.
Dustin, what do you think of it?
I think it's right.
I think it's got a cool story.
I love that, you know, as you look at like I'm reading the build story here.
And, you know, we bought the car in 14.
He's had it for a couple of years.
He kind of had like an OEM plus section of the life there.
I love that it's boosted, right?
It's supercharged. That's gangster.
Yes, I always felt like these cars needed a little extra oomph to kind of be good.
And yeah, I mean, I think it's he's got the right parts on it.
The rap is interesting.
I don't know if it's my jam, but I don't like there's a large portion
of me that wants to hate it and I don't like it.
It works. I think the whole build is very, very themed.
And it has a it has an identity.
And I like that one of my biggest pet peeves is when you have builds
that like don't make sense, you know, like they'll be it's a very OEM plus build.
And then they'll throw a giant wing on it.
It's like, no, no, no, that's not how it works.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
So mad, mad props for that, man.
I think because of everything else that's going on with the car
and the parts and the amount of parts that are on it, it deserves a wild rap.
Yeah, I agree.
Again, don't don't take what I'm saying as hate, right?
I'm not my style.
I think it's rad, though. I really, really do.
Dude, if looking through the partless suit, like he used all super quality.
That's what I mean, like there's a single part in there.
That's like HKS, TRD, you know, you have Toyota OEM stuff.
You even have, I was seeing top secret parts, APR carbon parts, Mishimoto parts.
I mean, it's all it's all good stuff.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, he ruled out.
He went all top of the line stuff.
I think it's though.
I really enjoy this car and I think he did a good job of making a track rat
that still is modded in a way that shows what he enjoys.
What do you like?
It's not ugly, right?
I believe that race cars don't have an excuse to be ugly.
No, no, they should be good, too.
Hell, yeah. Cool.
All right, let's move on to the next one.
Oh, OK, let's see what we got here.
It looks like it's a 2006 Infinity G 35.
And we are going to the other end of the spectrum.
This is slammed, dumped TV in the trunk.
Have an ass chrome plated engine.
Yeah, do you want one?
Yeah, Infinity G 35.
I love the yellow fitment just immediately.
I notice spot on.
You got fender to lip fitment.
And then the other some absolutely wild parts on here.
It's like if Pimp My Ride did a clean build.
And then you actually got to put it.
The parts.
Yeah, again, I'm currently the one that goes through
and approves all said build threads on here.
So familiar with this car.
I think it's absolutely gangster to hold up.
That's a Super Nintendo in the trunk.
I didn't see that.
What is a Super Nintendo?
Oh, I take it all back.
Everything I thought about this thing out the window.
Mad props.
Yeah, there's a SNES controller.
Peak of the controllers in there.
Is that gangster dog?
Yeah, that's sick.
That's so cool.
Yeah, so this car has a super cool story, too.
Basically started out daily driver.
He threw some lowering springs on it, put some wheels on it.
But over essentially the last like 10 years
has evolved quite past that.
I think one thing that's really cool about this,
and I didn't even notice it at first.
The front end is not a G35 front end.
Oh, you're right.
What is it?
It's a combination of stuff.
So I believe they're like G37 headlights,
but then it has a Q50 red sport bumper.
Yo, that's gangster.
But it works really, really well.
And obviously, if you haven't seen either,
there's a little secret.
Yeah, are we just going to ignore this, Dakota?
The rear mounted turbo.
Yes.
For your what?
Yeah, this car has secret little goodies all over it.
And then one thing, too, that you have to appreciate,
looking at the side of this car, it looks like it's 100%.
I think it's stock body, right?
Like the rear isn't flared out there.
I don't think so.
Just that it's a different rear bumper.
Yeah, different.
It is, I think it's stock fender.
He might have pulled the fenders.
I wouldn't doubt it because it has work equipo fives.
In the front is 19 by 11 and a half plus one.
And then in the rear is 19 by 13 plus one.
Some truck roasts and abs.
Those would be a wild setup.
Those weren't cheap.
I'll tell you that much.
And then he's talking 255, 35s nonetheless.
It's not like it's a tiny little tire on there either.
Yeah, it's a decent setup.
Obviously, still got some stretch going on
because it is a stand spill.
But you can tell 100% this is a car
that someone has had for a decade.
And they've spent the time modifying it.
You can if teen years, you bought it in 2010.
You can really tell when someone has owned a car
for a long time because it's like,
I think we've talked about this in the past too.
You go to some cars you look at and it's like,
how did they think to do that little thing to it?
But it worked so well.
And how did they match all this little stuff?
It's like, because when you own a car for that long
and you're modifying a car for that long.
It gives you time to do it.
It gives you time to do it.
It makes sense.
It's like, oh, I want to keep doing stuff to this car.
I already did all the big stuff.
It's like, then you start really focusing on the little stuff.
And I think that's where it really gets tied together.
Yeah, absolutely.
We just went from one spectrum to the other
with the track right with all the good parts.
Now we have a show car with all the good parts.
And I think this one is executed so damn well.
It kind of has, for lack of a better word,
some over the top stuff.
Putting a TV in your trunk.
I think that's dope.
And I don't think the car is over the top.
No, no, no.
It's done in a really well way.
Because some of those show cars that do this kind of stuff,
they go absolutely absurd with it.
Yeah, 100%
And it's like, cool in a sense that that much is it.
But sometimes it gets to be too much.
Yeah.
Too much.
It's just too much going on.
Somehow this Juan, he put it together and it goes together perfect.
Because it's like, you close that up.
And it's still like a baggy.
It's still a good looking.
Yeah, it's a yellow wide wheel.
Kind of gets tucked away a little bit.
And I think that's really important.
I agree.
I think this is a top to your car.
Absolutely.
I agree.
OK, cool.
Let's hop on over to talk about switching spectrums here.
I'm going to say it.
I'm going to say it.
Let's fucking go, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm so hyped for this.
OK, yeah, yeah.
Now, another completely different part.
We have 2005 GMC Sierra 1500 truck stuff.
This is Jason's.
I have a super soft spot in my heart for single cab lower trucks.
My buddy Neff, shout out Neff.
I know he listens to the podcast too.
He's always had them or he's had them for a long time.
And they have just been like a part of our lives.
And we've used them for so much.
You don't realize how convenient a single cab lowered truck is in your life.
Just lowered trucks in general, right?
Like it's I've had lifted trucks for a long time now.
And it's cool, but you go to throw something in the bed.
It's like, all right, I immediately
have to lift another foot and a half.
Dude, lower trucks are like, you want to load your dirt bike up?
Grab a wood plank and roll it up.
Just roll it up there, dude.
Like it don't take nothing.
There was times we took our grumps and just used them in.
Yeah, or lift them up there.
Yeah, it's super simple.
So it's super convenient.
But this thing rips.
Not just convenient.
Yeah, look under the hood for a second.
Holy Jesus, big turbo, 80 mil.
GMT 800s with threatening aura for 500 Trebek.
This thing fucking slaps, dude.
I think if you're a car person,
you still need to have an appreciation
for these single cab lowered trucks.
Yes, 100%.
This image with the like yellow leaves in the background,
like I think that thing looks damn good.
I love the wheel choice too.
The HREs is such a, that's such a flex.
Yeah, 100%.
Truck guys are usually,
there's so much off-road themed stuff.
And that wheel is just properly good.
It's a multi-piece wheel.
It makes good power.
It's paint matched in the right spots.
It's a round-eye GMT 800.
Running Nitto NT 555 G2s.
You gotta have something sticky.
Like I feel like this dude had to have been a car guy
at some point too, to like no ball like that,
to like pick up HREs.
What?
This is Wisconsin plate.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
Come to the shop.
Yeah, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up.
I'm speaking of that.
Pull up, Jason.
OEM silver birch with added silver pearl.
I love that.
Denali interior swap, LFG.
Yeah, I didn't see any photos of that,
but that sounds awesome.
Yeah, I mean, they're good.
The Denali interiors are proper.
Also, before you guys get super hyped,
it is kind of a pain in the butt to lower trucks.
So if you're thinking of it, like,
totally doable, obviously,
but to lower them and have them ride good
is a little bit of a challenge in itself.
Beltech makes some really good kits.
Now, it's gotten better than it used to be.
It just, yeah, it gets pricey quick.
Yeah, it used to be just pull the,
you know, flip the shackles in the rear
and pull the keys out of the front
and like rotate them down.
And then it would just ride like ass.
Yeah.
There's some good ways to do it now.
I think that thing's dope.
I absolutely love it.
I would drive the hell out of this.
100%.
I will have one of these maybe sooner than later,
to be honest.
We've been chatting about this a lot.
It might be a good, good fine little build.
Dude, just the color match grill,
the color match bumpers,
all one, you know, uniform color across the vehicle,
I think just brings it to the table.
Hold up, that's UCC, I think.
He might take this Dalton McCall challenge.
Oh.
If you're listening, Jason,
and you're going this year,
let me know, let's connect.
Just to read a story here,
always been a fan of cheap LS turbo builds
and regular cab pickup trucks.
So what we have here is a truck
I acquired a few years ago
that was partially finished.
I put some time and effort into finishing the build
and couldn't be happier.
Quick run down is a SBE 6.0 with VSR S480s,
backed by a 4L80 transmission,
all tuned with Holley Terminator X.
Interior is Denali leather,
swapped with console,
painted locally with OEM silver birch paint
and added a silver pearl to make it pop.
Again.
Dude, and S480s.
Yeah, that's,
and that's 15 mils bigger than the turbo
on my Duramax boys.
That's a big boy and VSR nonetheless.
So it's super high quality stuff.
I mean, those guys do a great job.
6.0 Chevy, this thing makes,
this thing makes good power.
And I bet you it boogies.
It's absolutely fun as hell.
Dude, yeah.
We nailed it, Jason killed it.
All right, moving on to the next one.
Let's see, we have Rares.
Rares.
2022 Toyota GR Supra.
Hey, oh.
So it looks like we got some,
I think those are Euro plates, if I'm correct.
Yeah, definitely looks like a Euro plate.
That's cool.
But I want to switch it up a little bit with this one
as you look at it.
It's a little more mild than the crazy stuff
we've been looking at.
So don't feel like you need to like be on that tier.
Like we love seeing that stuff,
but we like seeing this stuff too.
Yeah, you don't need to have a pearl painted Denali
swap big turbo.
If you do, please add that, but you don't need to.
So here we have Vossen HF-5s.
19 by nine and a half plus 26 in the front.
19 by 10 and a half plus 34 in the rear.
Pretty standard Supra sizes we have there.
But what I like about this is like,
the colors are kind of loud.
Like you got the blue with the bronze.
But for the most part, it just looks like a Supra
with some wheels, but we do have a turbo upgrade.
Yeah, I see that.
Turbo system, stage two turbo, which is nice.
So like immediately when I saw this, I was like,
oh, I want to put in because like,
I want to recommend some stuff.
You can really make Mark V's look good
with a little bit of aero, like lips or side skirts
or rear diffusers.
But I almost do kind of like the unsuspecting.
Yeah, because from the outside, I'm like,
okay, it's a Supra with some stuff on it.
Yeah, I opened up the performance.
You look at the performance and it's like flex fuel kit
intake charge.
I bet this thing, oh, it puts down.
It's 100% puts down because that's the beauty
of the Mark V's is you do a few bolt on modifications,
let alone upgrading the turbo
and you're making really solid power.
I mean, he's over 500 for sure.
And you really wouldn't know that
just by looking at the exterior of this car,
which I kind of enjoy, kind of enjoy.
The bright blue is a wild,
kind of reminds me of your RX-8 back in the day.
Yeah, I was like thinking the same thing.
I was like, God damn, it's a bright ass blue.
Who would do that?
It's beautiful, dude, I love it.
I love that blue.
That's probably like one of my favorite shades of blue ever.
It is so weird seeing these cars
without some sort of wing on the back.
I feel like I've got so accustomed to every Supra
having the same wing on the back now.
You're right.
I like it.
It throws me off.
I like it.
To me, it needs something back there.
Whether it's the extended kind of duck bill,
where it's just like a carbon,
or if you want to add a wing, I think,
I personally biased here,
but I love the Street Hunter wing on them.
It looks like factory to me.
But there is also like the Heritage wing,
which is more Mark IV-esque.
Yeah, it's like the more like rounded, yeah.
And that looks, it's just, it's so stubby.
Yeah.
It's so stubby back there that I think it needs something
to balance it out a little bit.
I'm with you on that one.
It feels like an Aston Martin Vantage almost.
I think what it is smooth off like that.
Yeah, yeah, I like it.
Because it's like the Viper is a stubby rear-ended car.
But like, I feel like the Supra is more aggressive.
Like it starts coming back up so much,
where I feel like the Viper is kind of more just down.
Yeah, okay.
That makes sense.
So since it kind of comes,
it just looks like something's missing to me.
And that's why I think it needs,
oh wait, it does have a little duck bill extension on it.
Yeah, it looks like a little carbon extension on there.
Needs more.
It needs more.
It's too stubby.
I think Toyota, like they had like an option
that you could get with the GR86.
The one that we had here for torque had it.
And that looked really good.
Yeah, like a little subtle kind of duck bill.
It was actually like a, I thought it was aftermarket.
It wasn't.
It was like a TRD like option or something like that.
But nice little Supra.
I like the setup.
I like that it's a little bit sleeper.
So that leads us to our first sponsor,
the Martimer's Potip.
Pag.
Pag.
Pag.
Pag.
Conti, Conti, Conti.
If you got some Continennals,
you better add them to the build threads
because we prioritize those for sure.
But if you guys are interested,
Continental has a bunch of dope tires over at Martini Works
available in a ton of different sizes.
And then also Continental tires come with a warranty too,
which I've had buddies use.
You know, it hits something in the road.
Tires no longer good.
If you're still in warranty, boom, use that up.
And it's phenomenal.
They have really good services.
So make sure to check that out,
learn more about that over at Martini Works.
But my number one recommendation
is if you got a fun car and it's something cool,
go get some extreme Contex Porto IIs.
You can thank me later,
especially if you're driving in the rain.
You'll be like, what the hell?
This is insane.
It's like it's not raining.
Continental has a fantastic wet performance,
but the dry performance is super good too.
So go check that over at Martini Works.
And thank you to Continental
for being a sponsor of Martini Works Pag.
Hey, I want to look at more cool cars.
Dang it.
Okay.
Well, I got not a car for you then.
What are you doing, Stepwagon?
1998 Honda Stepwagon.
This is Tim's.
Damn.
And yeah, again, just another completely different area
of the automotive scene.
But I thought this was cool.
It has moteggies on it.
17 by 8 plus 10.
Bridgestone tires.
Moog and coilovers.
This thing walks.
Yeah, dude, this thing's super dope.
This is a homey car.
I love how square it is and that the doors
like slide to the back.
Oh, man, I love the body kit that's on that, right?
The arrow's hot.
It's like that like twisted style.
His front license plate says Stepwagon.
Hell, yeah.
Look at those rain guards on the front windows, bro.
Those aren't rain guards.
It's a rain defense system.
That's arrow at this point.
That is an actual piece of arrow.
You could roll down the whole window in a rainstorm.
You wouldn't get a lick of how square this thing is.
I guarantee that added two miles per gallon.
She could probably add functional arrow.
The same with like the body kit.
They're providing down force.
This thing is sick.
I love this.
That's rad.
I love it.
I've always had a super soft spot for like JDM wagons
and like the, what's the little Nissan?
Leaf.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
It's a little wagon and it comes with a 2.5, RB25, Stagias.
Yeah, Stagias rip.
Stagias are super.
I love all of that like quirky JDM stuff.
And this is no exception.
Yeah, this looks like it's straight out of Japan, honestly.
Like you've seen a ton of stuff that was very similar to this
in Japan.
They love Japan so much.
And it's weird because like their vans are like so oddly
shaped compared to what we get.
They don't have trucks though, right?
Or like they don't have a lot of trucks.
So if you need to haul something around, it's in vans like this.
And then because their streets are so narrow, their vehicles are
usually narrower, but taller to make up that cargo space.
It's gangster.
Yeah, fun little thing.
I think it'd be convenient to like you can get a lot of stuff done with it.
Moving on, we got a 2003 Nissan 350Z.
This is Canaan's.
Kynan, Canan, Canan, I think.
OK, sorry if I'm bad at pronouncing your name, but I thought this was refreshing.
Here's the story.
Just the stock 350Z I wanted to make look pretty.
I wrecked my motorcycle and decided my S13 isn't a daily.
So I picked up my Z and wanted to make it nice.
That's why I picked this because when's the last time you've seen a 350Z
with only wheels on it?
Maybe suspension.
Never. Never.
Exactly. VCs on it.
Some more VSKF sharps.
Yeah, VSKFs.
So yeah, that's really cool.
The new VSKFs are on it.
So I think that's a solid choice.
I've really kind of came around to VSKFs, honestly.
And I think they did a good job with the VSKF sharps.
Obviously, they're extremely similar, but there's enough difference where it's
like they look nice.
I dig it.
I love this car.
I love the color of it.
I love how simple it is.
Will you just buy one already?
You've been looking at these forever, dog.
You should see if he'll sell you it.
Yeah.
Canaan's the first thing he knows.
He knows he's sitting on gold right now.
I understand Canaan's story here.
He's got an S13 like that in a daily.
That ain't the daily.
I need a 350Z because S13s are 30 fucking years old.
Well, it's just like, look how good it looks just with.
Yeah, it's simple, right?
Again, it's refreshing to see a nice, simple 350Z.
So I dig it.
I think the ride height is great.
Wheel trace is great.
And then the only thing I think I would do is take out those.
I might get hate for this.
I don't know.
I would take out the amber reflectors in the bumper and maybe put a clear one.
Yeah, clear it out.
I agree, especially because like the car is like that like orange.
Also, it's like my favorite between this and like that burgundy red.
Yeah, dude.
Color 350.
But the orange one is so good looking.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that's a dope little car.
You like it, doesn't it?
Do you know how I know this guy rocks?
How do you know he rocks?
Look at his friends.
Oh, he's got an SN95 knot new edge on a drag pack.
That's the dude looking at the pack.
That dude rips.
I don't know who these guys are, but I feel like we would get along well.
Let's party.
No, this thing, it's like you said, it's super dope.
It's clean.
It's simple in a world of, I said this a couple of years ago, I think, when we were at Gatlinburg,
right?
In a world of everyone needing to do wide-body cars and over the top of this and LED that,
it is so refreshing to just see something that's like tasteful.
Exactly.
You know, it's like, it's still good.
It looks good.
You can drive this thing anywhere.
I'm here for it.
And not saying that everyone needs to do that.
I like seeing my good, wild, crazy builds, too, but it's also nice to see a little bit of both.
And I think he bawled out in the right spots, right?
BCBR's good affordable coilover, you know, pretty decent for what you're going to get.
Got a baller wheel and tire setup.
Yeah, work VSKF sharps and then the Yokohamas.
Like it's a good all-around without being, he didn't go 12 out of 10 on spending money,
but he also didn't buy the super entry-level stuff either.
Exactly.
It's a good combo.
Yeah, 100%.
Yeah.
All right, cool.
Moving on, we have Josh's.
This was actually featured on our build thread shorts that we've been doing.
So if you follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, et cetera, any of those social platforms,
you'll notice every week on Friday, we're doing a new build thread review video where I go through
and I review and put your car in a tier.
This one made it because it's insane.
1999 Lexus LS 400.
First of all, absolutely love LS 400s.
They're phenomenal vehicles.
V8, so you can put a glass of wine on the hood and then put on a dyno and then that glass of wine is going to stay there.
What'd you got?
So you look at your height.
I'm so sorry.
I was just scrolling through this thing and I was like, OK, it's cool, whatever.
Yeah.
I got that overhead shot.
Yeah.
Brother.
For those that are just listening, this is this is low low rider LS 400 paint and all.
Yeah, dude, like the amount of airbrush work in the in the body lines in the roof.
So I don't know how many of you guys know this, but I have like a huge soft spot for the mini truck scene.
The mini truck scene is so dope.
There's so much cool stuff that goes on there, especially in like the paint and, you know, the lace overlays and stuff like that.
So to see that in a vintage JDM car, gangster, absolutely.
100 percent.
And it's so funny because you go back a couple of years ago, we talked about what trends we think are going to come.
And we talked about how we thought the low rider scene was really going to start inspiring the stance scene and you're seeing it more and more.
And I think the stance scene and the drift scene.
I've 100 percent.
This is what was in my mind like 280.
It is executed so well.
And I think it does justice of showing respect to the low rider scene while still doing kind of its own thing.
And then sans car fitment is bonkers on this.
The the works 18 by 10 plus 10 millimeter and then 18 by 11 plus five in the rear, just phenomenal.
Yeah, we got to see this car in person at Riverside last year.
And I was so happy that we were able to see it because following him on Instagram and like seeing the the posts around there.
I was like, dude, that car is got to be insane.
And it lives up to the hype.
It's wild.
He's at low at the levee, by the way.
Oh, nice show.
I'm trying to convince you guys to go to work and head out there to go to the bridge.
The bridge, the interior looks killer on this too.
It's just like this is how a stance LS 400 should be.
This is so proper, even like under the hood to like the covers and everything matched.
Oh, dude, it's so and then again, another trend that we're seeing with these build threads.
He's had this car for like just under seven years.
Yeah.
So again, gave him the time to really put the attention to detail that a build like this deserves.
And he talks about, you know, you like JDM cars.
He like lowrider.
So he mixed the two together and I love that.
I think that's how you really get standout builds is when you take the good stuff from the car scene collectively and you take bits and pieces and put it together to make something kind of unique.
I love that.
I love that ideology and I think it's sick when it's done right.
Yeah, I'd agree.
Two things.
Number one, those are Porsche headlights in case you guys didn't catch that.
Oh, yeah.
Porsche Panamera headlights.
Yep, that's dope.
All right.
So here's my one little soapbox and it's probably a hot take.
I'm going to get a flame for this a ton.
I love this car.
I love everything about this car.
I think the interior is great.
The paint is great.
The bodywork is great.
The Porsche headlights, super sick.
The underglows, rad.
Everything about this thing is super dope.
Personally, me for who I am.
I despise these wheels.
Why?
I absolutely do not like these wheels.
I've never, ever liked that style at all.
It's not my jam.
I don't understand.
I don't know.
To me, they're so.
Dude, these are like the only car that I could see these wheels on.
I don't disagree with you.
It doesn't mean I like the wheels, right?
I just they're too chunky to me.
It's like nothing wrong with some chunk.
I mean, I agree.
Look at me, right, dog?
But, you know, it's I don't know.
It's just not my jam.
I like the people like them.
They're not for me.
That's fair enough.
That's all fair enough.
You can have an opinion and it can be wrong.
Dakota's going to be like, we can still be friends.
Nope. All right, whatever.
We're speaking now, speaking of friends.
Yeah, Matt works 2005 Subaru WX STI.
I know Wisconsin legend.
Yes, I know Matt very well.
We were from the same town.
We worked at John Deere together and Matt is just a phenomenal dude.
And again, fitting the theme.
I didn't do this on purpose.
Matt has had this car forever.
Ever. And what's really cool about it is he drives
the absolute best out of it.
It's over 200,000.
But looking at it.
Never static.
You. Yeah. Yes.
And that's Matt's signature move.
Yes, it is.
Other he was always known for having
like the lowest static car in the area.
And he's an engineer.
So like he does this shit right.
OK, we did a road rally with this car.
A quarter inch off the ground and absolutely.
I should see if I can find you a photo so you can put it in.
I think it's somewhere you can see if you fucking hit a pile of manure.
We hit shit or something from the Amish.
And it's right.
Dead center of the middle of the layer while we were doing the road.
It's just so funny to see the photo.
And it's funny.
He booked it.
He was hauling us.
But it was both of our first road rallies.
So we actually won the Nuba Ward because we had dead last place.
But it wasn't because it was slow.
It was just because we didn't know what the hell we were doing.
But now since then, Matt has completely redone the engine bay.
He's built the motor big turbo.
So it's like it's not just walk in the walk.
It talks the talk, which is really cool to see.
And I love what he did with like the purple accents.
Yeah.
From the Brembo's to the regga masters with the purple stickers,
the purple and white.
Then you pop the engine bay and you see the like eight ease meticulous.
And so I never realized that he like matched the purple on the regas.
That's so yeah, dude.
It's so clean.
It's so yeah.
Every time I see an update on this car, it gets me so frigging excited
because it just gets cleaner and cleaner.
I love the story too.
So yeah, Purchase in 2011 has taken it to 15 different US states.
Yeah, that's that's insane.
Goal is a longtime stance.
Oh, gee, to show that you can do these builds cleanly and reliably.
Yeah.
And yeah, he's done it.
He's done a lot of like versions of it where it's similar to how it looks,
but it's always different.
And one thing I always like too, I think Matt does a great job of doing
like the stance thing right because he takes the time like he goes for
like the camber to match like the eight pillars.
Yeah, so it all kind of looks, you know, that's an engineer right?
Yeah, it's not that Omni camber.
It's like calculated dialed reasoning behind it, which I think is really sick,
especially for a stance car, but he's done a lot to this car
and it's been through some shit and it still looks phenomenal.
So I just give him all the credit not to mention.
I think those regga masters look so good.
Damn good on a blob.
I my God.
And then shout out to Matt, too, because like he's in our local car gang,
if you want to call it that.
And I think he's the only one that still has his original on him.
We all sold ours and have been through 15 different vehicles on some of it.
Matt's he's got it.
That's the one man.
Yeah, he's a good friend of the channel.
Maybe we can get him in here and we'll do a video feature.
I'm sure he'd be down.
I'm sure he'd be down and that would be really sick because I haven't
rode in that car since it's got all the engine work done.
OK, coming up, we got one more here and then we're going to dive into another subject.
So this is interesting.
This is let me see here.
Liam's 2017 Ford Focus SE.
Yeah, he is in Echo, not ST SE.
So we're looking at base model focus that is quite literally no longer from it.
Yeah, a base model.
He has touched like every inch of this car.
It looks like I didn't see.
We'll have to see if.
So performance, it looks like it's just Velacitec snorkel along with intake.
So relatively stock engine bay, but went all out with the cosmetics.
Looking at this, you see, it has now a Ford Focus RS front bumper.
So you would never guess that it was a base model just by seeing it driving at you.
And then it has like the Ford racing wheel in it and then big wing, huge wing,
monster wing, massive diffuser.
You can tell this is obviously kind of like a show car build.
And then his story is elevating a base model to limits most never do.
Basic daily car that got turned into a complete show build.
So definitely can relate to that.
Having a car where you're like, oh, it's just a daily.
I just need to come here and then you start doing one mod in two months,
then three months and then your daily needs a new daily.
It happens. I get it.
Has ESR wheels, CS 12, 18 by 10 and a half and then nexon and bears.
You know, what I would say is I think this is.
A pretty crazy show build, but with like the price you'd pay to swap over
like our stuff onto it.
I'd like to see a different wheel setup, honestly, to kind of fit this build
a bit better just because those are like the, you know, it's the fake three piece,
not actual three piece wheels.
I think this car deserves to have some real three piece wheels on it.
But it leads to the next segment that I want to talk about and I can get
your guys opinions on this too.
But should you, should you modify base models?
You have to save that for the next bit.
That will be in the third segment.
But before we go to the next sponsor, I want to hear what you guys
genuinely think of this car.
Yeah, I think this reminds me a lot of like when this, I don't want to
say like craze, but it was like, I want to say like 2017, 2018.
This style became so huge.
And I think it is a very unique style that I would say is kind of, you know,
I don't know what the term would be for it, but it's like the United States
like version of the, like I feel like the U.S. like adopted this style.
Wide body or fender flares with underglow and huge wing.
Yeah, massive.
Yeah.
And it's like, I'm even looking around like the, like the accents like around
the arrow to like, you know, really accent it with like a pop of color.
I, I'm not gonna lie, growing like going into the scene and stuff like that.
When I had my FRS, like this, I fucked with this style really heavy.
I think I've moved on from it a little bit since, but I still appreciate seeing it.
I agree with you.
I think there's some really good stuff on here, but then I think there's
some stuff that definitely can get you by, but I would maybe look at upgrading
in the future, probably like the race lane coilovers.
Yeah.
ESR or something like that.
But for the most part, I think it's like, I understand, like you're building
a show car, like you want to have, you know, a lot of the stuff on there.
But I think it's sick that they took an SE, something that you don't typically see.
Yeah, probably the most wild SE.
Like, I remember we're seeing this.
It's like, I had to take a double take too, because I was like, dude,
did he put the wrong like model?
Did he mean to put like ST in or something?
Like it's typically that that's what you'll see.
You know, like, oh, it's already, you know, got a lot of the stuff there already.
But I think it's cool.
Yeah, I would agree.
I think this is where I wish there was more, more details on the build story
itself, right?
You know, is, is Liam 22, 32, 42, 52?
You know, is he just out of college, is his first build?
You know, I think, because that, that changes a lot of how I look at this one.
Right.
When I look at guys like us who are in our, you know, early 30s realistically
for most of us, I think, right?
Not yet, but close.
You know, I think we're, we're at a point where we're making investments
into really high quality parts and we're kind of doing things maybe a little bit
differently, but I agree.
10 years ago, this would be the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
You know, and I think I love that he's got his personal taste in it.
I love that it is a little bit over the top.
We'll talk a little bit more about the SE thing, but I do think it's cool.
I think the base model thing is rad.
I'm kind of with Gels.
I'd like to see, I mean, I know, I know that race lands are super affordable,
but I know that for just a little bit more, you can get into a BC or a little
bit more, even a fortune auto or something.
And it's going to quite a bit more for a fortune.
But I'm saying incrementally, right?
As you step up the ladder, you know, I think that, that I'd like to see that.
I agree with you, Dakota, on the wheel choice.
I think the car needs something a little bit, I don't want to say nicer.
I'm not trying to talk, the style is perfect.
100%, 100%.
But I would almost rather see when I look at this build, I'd rather see him on
a set of like good rotary forged wheels, a good, you know, a con se would go
super hard on this car.
It would be tough to get sizes to fill it out.
Correct.
Correct.
I'm going to have to go spacer, but I almost agree.
I would rather see a solid set of monoblocks with spacers if you got to run
them versus fake three piece wheels.
Personally, that's where I'm at.
But yeah, and I don't hate the, like the spacer concept on this car because
it's not a track car.
He's not tracking.
Yeah, you're right.
So it's just you run some pretty solid ones, right?
There's nuances to all of that, which is why I'm, I hope I'm not coming off too
like coming from the wide body world.
It's like, you forget you throw 40 mil fenders on your, your force into
position that you're going to have to space out some monoblocks or you have
to get thousands of dollars of multi piece wheels made.
And it's, it's kind of an afterthought.
Sometimes like, Oh, I'll find some wheels.
And it's like, fuck, I need an 18 by 11 negative 40.
Yeah.
Oh, shit.
Oh, that's five grand.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it's like a lot of times too.
It's like even like, you know, when I was like doing the RX eight and stuff is
like, I looked at work and I looked at like SSR and it's like, I only sometimes
go down to like a negative 20.
Yeah.
You just don't have the, it's like, they just, they don't have stuff that
aggressive sometimes.
So a lot of times you'll see spacers and stuff, which I again, I don't really
put anything against that.
I've, I've run big spacers.
I've ran little spacers.
I've never used to run five mils all the time.
Cause I'd always run into the issue where I'd pick out a set of wheels.
This was back in the day when I was like between 16, 19 years old and I'd get
them and fit them and be pretty decent, but I would be hitting my coil over and
I'd be running in the back space and say, I'd have to just five mils.
Get them pulled out a little bit weird.
Like to be able to run something that you want.
Um, you just have to like, for instance, I'm like in the BMW.
It's like, I had to, um, because the sizing is so weird on that.
It's all wheel drives.
I don't want to run like a staggered setup or anything because it gets really weird.
So it's like, yeah, I had to throw like a five mil spacer in the front just to
clear the, yeah.
And yeah, I don't think you need to be ashamed of running spacers by any means,
but I do think you should get solid, decent spacers, a quality brand.
Don't get some cheap ass universal ones if you can get some good ones.
And then to take the appropriate steps, do some research.
Do you need to extend your studs and at what size do you have to do that?
If you do that, you get some extended studs.
You're running a five to 10 mil space or whatever.
No, no shame in that whatsoever.
None, no, no shame.
Um, but that leads to our second sponsor, the martin works pockets, fortune auto,
which I absolutely love and is near and dear to my heart.
Random for years.
Absolutely love them.
Great quality.
Again, like we were talking about, they aren't the cheapest, but you get what you
pay for and you're going to have some of the best riding coilovers you've ever had.
I promise you, uh, 4,500s, even their, their quote unquote entry level, uh, for
them are better than a ton of different coilovers that I've ran in the past.
And I was so impressed that I literally never went back after that.
Uh, I got fortune out of 500s and I never got another brand because I enjoyed
them so much.
Uh, so if you go on over to martin works, you can filter, see if, uh, they
make them for your, your model, if not, just reach out to us.
We can help you and see what they can do, but they're also customizable, which is
awesome.
So if you want to upgrade to swift springs, if you want to get them and then
down the road, upgrade them to five 10s, that's also an option.
If you get them and you run and you beat the piss out of them for years, guess
what?
You can send them back in, have them rebuilt and they will come back basically
brand new.
Um, and the attention to detail that fortune auto has is really what sets them
apart from everybody else because they're consistent.
You're going to know what you're getting and you're going to really enjoy it.
So head on over to martin works, check out fortune auto and thank you to them
for sponsoring martin works.
So that last vehicle, I think brought up a great question we should talk about.
Should you modify a base model car or should you just take that money you're
spending and dumping on it, put it in new account and wait for the upgrade for
the higher trim?
What do you guys think?
Oh man, do I have an answer for you?
Because my whole life has been modifying base model cars.
Let me tell you what my 2005 neon SXT to, uh, my 99 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS.
I have my fair share of experience modding.
No wonder you never stopped your shit.
Yeah, exactly.
Uh, that's changed now.
I know, but I think yes.
And, but there's ways to go about it.
I think a hundred percent you can modify whatever you want.
Is it going to be the easiest thing to do?
Absolutely fucking not.
In some cases modifying a base model car and some maybe more, um, it's going to
be harder to do because there just isn't the aftermarket support for it.
In my case, you know, um, the SXT neon, completely different car from the SRT4
neon, different engine, different body styles around it.
So like when you're looking for an exhaust, you have to find one specifically
for the SXT.
You have to find one that isn't trying to fit itself into exhaust cutouts
that aren't there.
Um, it gets weird, you know, buying an intake for it.
There wasn't really a reputable brand making an intake for it.
You're kind of forced into buying some shit eBay one that did.
Um, and it was more of like a universal thing than anything.
Uh, the Eclipse, for instance, um, the entire time it was, I was being told
the money you would put into it, you're better off just selling it and
getting a GSX at the time.
When they were back then, reasonably different, different
pricing still a little more available.
They weren't all rotted to shit.
Um, but you know, it was the, it was the, in a sense, story and just
like sentimental value that kept me going through it.
It's like, I got that car because I wanted a second gen Eclipse so fucking bad.
And this one kind of fell into my lap because it was in the area.
It needed a lot of work.
And the guy was like, if you want it, you can have it.
And I was like, there's no way that that is happening.
And so like, I was like, yeah, I'm going to take that opportunity.
And it's like, I want to make it happen.
So we did, you know, and it was like, yeah, looking back on it, was it
like the best financial decision?
Fuck no, like a hundred percent, it would have been better off like waiting
and trying to find and save up for a GST or a GSX somewhere a thousand percent.
But like, I learned so much with that car and it's like, at the same time,
it's like, I wasn't having it trying to be something that it wasn't.
I wasn't trying to make it a GSX.
I wasn't throwing a GSX wing on it.
I wasn't up badging it.
I wasn't, you know, pretending that it was something that it wasn't.
It was like, this is a base model Eclipse with a Chrysler engine in it.
It's basically a glorified neon, but I fucking love it.
And I'm still going to lower it.
I'm still going to throw wheels on it.
I'm still going to do the things that I want to do to it to for this car,
specifically clean it up and make it what I wanted.
So yeah, a thousand percent.
I think the key thing there is like, don't try to make it something that it's not.
I think, you know, keep it simple when it comes to base model stuff.
If the reason you're buying a base model is because you need to daily it
or you're on a bit of a budget, it's like you can still mod it tastefully on a budget.
A hundred percent. Yeah. Absolutely.
I think when you look at it, there's a lot of ways to take this one.
And I don't know that any one of them is right.
I think when you look at you have to kind of take a step back
and look at it and say, OK, where are you at in your life?
You know, are again, it comes back to that build story.
Are you young? Are you a first, second car enthusiast?
You know, are you still in school?
Are you just trying to get your, you know, your feet underneath you or on the flip side?
Are you well established and want to build something good?
You know, I think you pair that with what's the goal of the car
and it starts to tell the story here. You know, I think, for example,
you look at the Honda community does a great job of the Accord guys, right?
They look at like, I think a Gary Wallace, if you guys know Gary out of Green Bay.
It's got that blue Accord, carbon hood, super dope, really well done.
Gary's always been known for like, I'll go, he'll go by a base model
because he knows he's going to tear the interior out of it.
He's another suspension setup.
Why would he pay for a higher end car when he knows he's going to yank it all out of there?
Anyway, right? Jared did that with the Bronco member.
He bought a super base model Bronco because he's like, I'm going to put
interior, exterior, lift, wheels, tires, a whole nine yards.
I don't give a shit about what this thing looks like, you know?
So I think thinking about that, but then to play devil's advocate,
the other side of it, the Subaru community does this incredibly well.
Guys will go out and buy a base model WRX or when I was, when I had my legacy,
the legacy guys did this all the time, they'd buy a standard legacy GT.
And then when they wanted to upgrade that car, they would buy secondhand parts
from guys that had spec Bs, STIs, because they're selling those parts
for pennies on the dollar because the higher trim level guys don't want that stuff.
But for you, it's an upgrade, right?
So the BMW community does it too.
The, the E36, E46 guys will buy M3 parts all the time because they fit.
They bolt right up.
They're better than what you have on your base model three series.
And you're still getting a upgrade for less than you would be an OEM upgrade.
It's an OEM plus stuff, right?
Exactly.
So yeah, do I think it's worth it?
Yes, as long as that's the direction your build is going, save the money,
you know, invest that where you want it to.
As long as that's what your build is on the flip side, if you want just like,
if you want to track car and you just want to go drive, do I, Lars taught me this.
I mean, the moment he started tracking the M2, it's like, buy a good car,
invest it in upfront, go drive the hell out and be happy with it.
Otherwise you end up with the S2000 where you're fixing on it constantly
and every track day is a headache and, you know, it's, it's, it's stressful.
That car's a lot of fun, but it's stressful to have that car out there.
You can't just jump in that and go drive.
I think you guys made some phenomenal points and I agree.
I've done both.
I've owned base models, like I had a Subaru and Prezza hatch and then I've had
the highest trim levels, like my TRD Pro or my GR Premium Supra.
So I've been kind of on both ends.
And I think now, like when I'm buying a vehicle, I try to plane it out a little
bit more and know what I want.
And I really do go after the trim that makes the most sense for me.
I would say the TRD Pro I probably didn't need.
But I really wanted that top trim.
You wanted a little Lado.
I could put that on a base model.
Always a little Lado on your TRD Pro.
I could put a little Lado on anything.
No, you can't.
Yeah, you can.
Um, so anyways, what I was going to say is I say yes to modding your base model
because I'm the type of person, any vehicle I get, no matter what it is,
I want to do something to it.
Honour.
I think modifying vehicles is a way of self expression and it's just fun to
personalize something and like look in the lot, see it and know that's yours.
And it stands out from the rest.
So I get that I get not being able to leave anything alone from a frickin
Honda ruckus to a GR Supra.
I'm doing something to it, even if it's small.
And I think you should do that.
What I don't think you should do, which it's kind of, if I doesn't touch
down a little bit because buying a base model with the thoughts of I'm going to
manual swap it, I'm going to big turbo it, I'm going to do it.
80% of people will say that and not do it.
20% of people will do it and that's fine.
Those people should do it.
But I've had so many friends or people I at least know from my hometown that had
some fucking hoopty and oh, I'm going to raise the ideas whether you want to
manual swap it this year and I'm going to tune it and I'm going to swap this
engine and they never do it.
They never do anything even remotely close to that.
And they have the car for three years, it gets junked and then they buy
something else.
Don't be that guy.
If you're going to do something and you're actually playing a hundred percent
of it for sure, go for it.
I think you should.
But buying a base model because it's $5,000 cheaper than the trim you wanted.
And you're like in your head, I'm going to take that $5,000 and manual swap it and
do it.
But you're not.
You're not because you're getting a loan and you don't actually have $5,000.
Yeah, we're making some assumptions here.
I'm generalizing.
I'm generalizing.
Obviously, everyone has a unique scenario.
In general, you're getting a loan for the vehicle.
You're not actually getting $5,000 in your pocket.
Your payment per month might be less, but you're not going to just have $5,000 to go
spend on a new transmission and a tune and all the exactly.
So I think you just got to think about it a little more long term and what you want to do.
And I think it's fine to get into a base model and enjoy it.
But I think if you can really research before you buy the vehicle, maybe you go and you're
looking at a Corolla hatch and you're like, oh, I love how they look and they're really
dope.
And you go check it out.
Go also look at the GR Corolla hatch and really see is that worth it?
Yeah.
Do I want a performance vehicle?
Am I going to use the aspects of that?
Am I going to enjoy it more?
And then if you can save up a little bit longer, get a bigger down payment or whatever you
got to do and consider the option for other trims or even it could be more minute.
I know some vehicles, it's like certain things, certain trim options.
I was just going to say.
Take the time to learn what they can all come with because sometimes it can be drastically
different like different drivetrains, engines.
Even the Focus ST, I think is a perfect example.
ST1 versus ST3.
Exactly.
There's ST and then there's ST1, ST2, ST3.
There's sub trims through the trim.
And if you just went and looked at an ST, you might not even realize you could have had one
with Recaro C. It's a bigger touchscreen display.
Now you have this little stupid tiny radio that was in shit in it.
And generally, if you do some research, you do some looking, when it's those sub trims,
you can get them for about the same price.
If you're doing some wheeling and dealing, there's generally a bit more of a price,
but it's not like an insane amount.
If you're in the used car market, if you're looking at MSRPs, they probably jump up because
dealerships and manufacturers love charging more for that stuff.
You have to, right?
As pricing.
Exactly.
I mean, you're putting Recaro seats in something versus having base model cloth seats.
That's a difference.
There has to be a dollar value.
Exactly.
But if that's what I'm saying, do some research on the vehicle you're looking at,
you might be able to get some upgrades for barely anything.
On the flip side of that, I'd say, on both sides of that card, the complete polar opposite
of that conversation is, I always reference the Golf R community.
The Golf R is a great car.
Don't get me wrong.
They're a lot of money.
They are.
And so when you look at that, you can look at a Golf R and say, I want a Golf R. Well,
why?
Because I want 400 HPs and I want this and I want that.
I want that for way less money you could buy.
And I'm looking at Mark 7 specifically here because I had one.
It's the only thing that I have experience with.
But you can buy a Mark 7 GTI for 15 grand, 20 grand, stick five to 10 into it and do
damn near as well as you would in a Golf R if that's what you're after.
Right?
Again, it comes down to what do you want to do with the car?
But there's opportunities where you could say, I need to have top trim level,
or I want top trim level experiences, but you can get that in a lower with a little bit of
time.
The Mustang is the same way, right?
Gretchen wanted the GT for so long because it made good power in his fun to drive.
And then when we got to look and it's like, man, a GT, an S550 GT was 25, 30 grand.
We just didn't want to spend that.
And I was like, well, hold on.
We bought a full bolt on EcoBoost Premium.
So it's got heated and cooled leather backup camera.
I mean, the whole not everything that you want from a fun perspective.
Plus it was tuned, makes 350 over 350.
And we paid 17 grand for that car.
Yeah.
You know, half the money.
That I love.
I think that's the biggest advice is just do research on the trims of the vehicle you're
looking at and look at all options available.
Because like I've bought in vehicles in the past too.
And it's like, I didn't realize I could have had this and I could have had wireless
Apple CarPlay.
I could have had the digital boost gauge screen built into it or whatever.
So it's like now when I'm about to buy a vehicle, I try to like,
am I getting all the options I actually want before picking it up?
That was a big one too with the GTI we picked up the Mark 8.
It was like, there's so many different packages.
Some are pretty standard.
I think like the Honda Civic Si or Type R, those are just,
there isn't like really other options to them.
They just are what they are, which is kind of nice.
But you get into a GTI and there is dude, you can get bigger displays,
smaller displays, different seats, different like cosmetic.
Attachments, things like that.
Heated steering wheel, no heated seat.
Like there's so much that you can.
So it's like, think about what you want.
Do you want that panoramic sunroof?
Do you want a vehicle without a sunroof?
That's a big one that I wish I would have did in my TDI Sport Wagon.
Because there that's the biggest flaw in them.
They clog and then they leak and they're insanely expensive to fix.
Or it's a huge pain in your ass to fix yourself.
Again, just do that research.
I think you'll be happy with no matter what car you get then.
If it checks all the boxes, you know what I'm saying?
Absolutely.
That leads us to our final sponsor, our Teamworks podcast.
Motegi.
Motegi.
Motegi.
You know, you're going to enjoy your wheels when the name's fun to say.
Motegi.
Say it.
You're listening to the podcast right now.
Say Motegi.
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Say it right now.
Yeah.
Good job.
All right.
Yeah.
That was fun.
You had fun.
We're having fun.
Motegi offers a bunch of different wheels and they come in at a pretty affordable price.
So if you're looking to upgrade a set you have and don't want to, you know,
break the bank or may your entry level enthusiasts want to get something,
pick up some Motegi's.
We're going to be running them this summer.
We're going to be drifting on them so they can talk the talk and walk the walk,
not to mention a ton of different finishes.
And they've been doing a really good job of coming out with a lot of sizes and specific sizes too.
So you can really dial in your fitment and get what you need.
So over at Martini Works, if you filter by Motegi, you can see all the models that are available.
You can check out different finishes of them, all that good stuff.
If you have any questions, if you want a recommendation or anything,
hit up the chat on Martini Works.
You'll see a little pop up.
You can talk to Carissa or Zach.
They'd be happy to help you pick out a set of wheels for your car and make some recommendations.
So a huge shout out to Motegi for sponsoring the podcast.
And thank you guys so much for listening.
Thank you to Dustin Gels for being on the podcast.
Of course.
Happy Friday.
You guys are about to have a great weekend.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you like us reviewing cars, make sure to let us know because sometimes we're trying out stuff
and we want to know that you guys enjoy it.
Hey, how are you?
Happy Valentine's Day.
Oh, yeah.
Happy Valentine's, Gels loves you.
Gels wants to be your Valentine.
He's your Valentine.
Here you go.
All right.
Have a great weekend.
Bye.
About this episode
The Martini Works podcast dives into a lively review of subscriber cars, showcasing a variety of builds and modifications. Dakota, Dustin, and Gels discuss standout features, unique stories, and the creativity behind each car. From a 2013 Scion FRS with an extensive list of 108 modifications to a 2006 Infiniti G35 that combines show and performance elements, the hosts share their insights and opinions. The episode emphasizes the importance of personal stories in car builds and encourages listeners to engage with the community by sharing their own car experiences.
APR
center caps
coilovers
competition clutch
HKS
Mishimoto
OEM plus
Pimp My Ride
purpose built
rear mounted turbo
BMW 3 Series
BMW M2
BMW M3
BMW M4
Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet SSR
Dodge Neon
Dodge Omni
Ford Bronco
Ford Flex
Ford Focus
Ford Mustang
GMC Sierra EV
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda S2000
Infiniti G35
Infiniti G37
Infiniti Q50
Lexus LS
Mazda RX-8
Mercedes-Benz SL
Mitsubishi Eclipse
Morgan Plus 8
Nissan 350Z
Nissan Leaf
Porsche Panamera
Scion FR-S
Subaru WRX
Toyota Corolla
Toyota GR 86
Toyota GR Corolla
Toyota Supra
Volkswagen Golf
Zenvo ST1
Original notes
Need car mods? Get them at https://martiniworks.com/Ya'll have some of the most insane cars we've ever seen, so we had to review some of the Build Threads submitted at MartiniWorks! From rear-mounted turbo G35's to Big turbo lowered Sierras theres something for everyone. #cars #carmodification #podcast Want your car reviewed or featured? Add it here! https://martiniworks.com/build-threadsPick up our Coffee here! https://martiniworks.com/products/other/show-merchA HUGE thank you to Continental, Motegi, and Fortune Auto for being the official tire, wheel, and suspension of the MartiniWorks Podcast! Let us know if you need a set of tires or coilovers. Shop Continental tires here https://martiniworks.com/products/wheels-tires/tires?brands=continentalShop Motegi wheels here https://martiniworks.com/aftermarket-car-parts-brands/wheels/motegiShop Fortune Auto suspension here https://martiniworks.com/products/suspension/coilovers?brands=fortune-auto🏎️Check out the main channel!🏎️: @MartiniWorksOfficial 📦We also have an unboxing channel 📦: @MartiniWorksUnboxed Follow Dustin @dusti.lbzFollow Dakota @dakotastoneeFollow Gels @akagels
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